We are delighted to show you the new Emergency Contact Cards that we shall be giving out to members starting this week.

Committee members will be giving them out before club runs and we ask you to fill them in and carry them on all runs (or you can carry another form of Emergency ID that has an Emergency Contact number on it if you prefer).

 

 

There are several reasons for this change including the following:

  • We’ve had several incidents this year where runners have collapsed and we’ve required Emergency contact details that the unwell runner has been unable to pass on to us.
  • It was not efficient for someone to carry an emergency contact file and the emergency phone during a run – it requires non-running person power to do this and could mean a delay getting hold of an emergency contact with a phone call needing to be made to the emergency phone, then there being some way to write down the emergency contact’s number, before finally phoning the emergency contact. Far safer and easier for each member to carry their own emergency number.
  • With the new General Data Protection Rules coming in on 25th May, it stops us needing to carry personal data around in a file.

 

We have been investigating what to do for quite a while.  Other clubs take a register each club night which contains emergency contact details.  With regularly over 100 members on a club night and people wanting the flexibility of group swapping this is not feasible within our club.  The decision was taken after advice from England Athletics and recommendation from other large clubs.  The system ensures that runners take responsibility for their own emergency contact details by carrying their cards.

 

Once the system is fully up and running, someone within each group will check everyone has their Emergency Contact cards before all club runs (or emergency contact details).  Anyone without will be required to fill in a temporary one.  We have decided that rather than taking the hard line of no card no run that other clubs take, we will have a stock of temporary paper cards for people to fill in, these will also be used for new members until they join the club.

 

You only have to hear the story of Steve Cram’s brother to understand how vulnerable lone runners can be, so we also suggest you take your emergency contact card out with you on solo runs.

 

Looking forward to safer runs going forward.

 

We will be aiming for this system to be fully up and running by 25th May.

 

Best wishes

Jo Evans

On behalf of  The Black Pear Committee